Evaluation of North Sea offshore grid topologies via market simulations and security analysis

This work provides a method for combined planning of a possible offshore grid in the North Sea together with the onshore grid, for a high renewable energy scenario in the year 2030. The analysis is done with the help of both market simulations and load flow calculations. The round-the-year security analysis is used to evaluate different offshore grid structures and the interdependencies that exist between grid structure and available capacity for market transactions. Grid security, grid utilization factors, operating costs (fuel and emissions) and wind curtailment are considered in the assessment. Furthermore, the same round-the-year security analysis is used to investigate the effects of the offshore grid on the security of the Dutch onshore grid. A sensitivity analysis to the presence of the German North-South HVDC corridors on the security of the Dutch grid is also performed.